Prompt Revision #2

1980. A recurring theme in literature is the classic war between a passion and responsibility. For instance, a personal cause, a love, a desire for revenge, a determination to redress a wrong, or some other emotion or drive may conflict with moral duty. Choose a literary work in which a character confronts the demands of a private passion that conflicts with his or her responsibilities. In a well-written essay show clearly the nature of the conflict, its effects upon the character, and its significance to the work.

            If you had the choice between a life of security and respectability, or a life of passion, which one would you choose? Or would you try to have it all? In F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby, this is the choice that Daisy Buchanan must make more than once, and it his her difficulties making this choice that helps display and highlight the frivolousness of the upper class.

Throughout the work, Daisy Buchanan must deal with her conflicting feelings between Tom Buchanan and Jay Gatsby. Tom is a good American, who attended college and has loads of money. In other words, he is the respectable man for Daisy to marry. He is the man her family expects her to pick. However, Daisy is passionately in love with another man, Jay Gatsby. The problem is that Gatsby does not have a respectable family name, a respectable job, or a respectable amount of money. This is the conflict that Daisy deals with before marrying Tom. The majority of the book explores this issue later in their lives, after Daisy has already been married to Tom and has a child. Jay Gatsby moves into the house across from the Buchanan’s, and him and Daisy end up meeting to have tea. From that point on, Daisy wrestles between her feelings and passion for Jay Gatsby, and her desire to remain wife to Tom Buchanan.

            Daisy’s conflicting feelings cause many problems for her. In fact, the night before her wedding to Tom, Daisy drinks herself into a stupor and almost calls the whole wedding off. Many years later, Daisy does not hold many moral dilemmas about starting an affair with Jay Gatsby. However, she refuses to leave or tell Tom about the affair (as Gatsby wants her to do). This causes problems as Tom begins to invite Jay to parties and dinners. Neither Daisy nor Gatsby can hide their love for each other, and Tom does not remain oblivious for long. The conflict comes to a head when Tom, Daisy, and Jay all find themselves in a private room during a sweltering day in New York City. Gatsby and Tom have a confrontation, and Daisy is forced to choose between the two of them. She realizes she cannot have the best of both worlds, and chooses respect and security over passion. Driving home, in her anger and sadness, she hits a woman and kills her.

            Daisy’s personal war between her passion and her responsibility helps contribute to this theme of the frivolousness and ridiculousness present in the upper class. Fitzgerald develops this theme throughout the book in many ways including through the extravagant, pointless parties Gatsby holds every week. Daisy's dilemma furthers this because, really, her situation couldn't be more ideal. She has a child, a husband, and a secure place in the upper class. To think that this book was put out in a country that had just finished with its first world war, with soldiers returning home and finding themselves jobless, with widows whose husbands never returned, her "dilemma" becomes anything but. In that light, Daisy's problems make the upper class seem even more out of touch with reality than ever.

            Over all, Daisy’s internal struggle between her love for Jay Gatsby and societal obligation to her husband, Tom Buchanan, causes problems for her in The Great Gatsby. She refuses to accept the fact that she will never be able to have everything that she wants. This struggle highlights Fitgerald's comment on the absolute ridiculousness of upper class society. 

Response to Course Material 2/10

Since the last response, we've basically watched another movie of Hamlet and have been reading Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead ever since. First off, I thought the concept of everyone being a heroine addict in Hamlet was very interesting. The acting and directing could have been much better, but the idea was cool. 

I'm kind of enjoying Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead, too. I think the word play and interaction among the different characters is funny. However, I'm not really seeing a deeper meaning in this work. Maybe the point is that there is no deeper meaning? Maybe the author is just poking fun at/commenting on Shakespeare's play. Who knows. Ms. Holmes said that she's going to step back and let us do the interpreting, but if that seriously happens I doubt I'll get very far in analyzing this play.

Open Prompt Revision #1

Choose a character from a novel or play of recognized literary merit and write an essay in which you (a) briefly describe the standards of the fictional society in which the character exists and (b) show how the character is affected by and responds to those standards. In your essay do not merely summarize the plot.

It can easily be said that today’s society has much lower standards than those of generation’s past. With the rise of shows such as Jersey Shore and Keeping up With the Kardashians, one can hardly wonder why. It seems that few topics or behaviors are off limits any more. However, the same thing cannot be said for society in the 1800s. In Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice, which is set during this time period, characters abide by a much stricter set of rules. The main character, Elizabeth Bennet, struggles to conform to these strict societal standards as she worries about her family’s reputation.

In the novel, Elizabeth lives in a middle-upper-class household. The family’s mansion is located in the English countryside. Despite the rural setting, there are still distinct societal “rules” by which characters operate throughout the novel. First off, there are clear lines drawn between classes. People are expected to show respect and to honor those who are wealthier than them, and marriage between classes is generally frowned upon. Also, relations between the sexes must be kept extremely formal in public. Women in particular are supposed to be mild-mannered, proper, and to defer to the men. Another important thing to note is that, in this society, the poor choices of one member of a family inevitably bring disgrace to the whole family.

            Elizabeth is obviously greatly affected by these societal norms, but the responses she has to these constraints in the novel are extremely conflicted. She continuously struggles with her desire to rebel and do what she wants, and with her worry for the reputation of her family. This is to say that Elizabeth does not always follow the societal norms. For example, when Elizabeth’s sister, Jane, falls ill at Mr. Bingley’s mansion and is forced to stay there, Elizabeth treks through the mud and the woods to see Jane. She arrives at the mansion dirty and disheveled (which is considered completely inappropriate for calling on someone). However, Elizabeth cared more about seeing her sister so she completely disregarded the societal standards. Another example is when Lady Catherine tells Elizabeth to not marry Darcy, (Lady Catherine's very wealthy nephew), and Elizabeth refuses. Even though Elizabeth should have submitted to her superior’s demands, she does what she wants instead. Despite this, Elizabeth still cares about her and her family’s reputations. The biggest case in point is how she freaks out when her sister Lydia runs away with an officer. She becomes terrified about how this scandal will harm her family’s reputation. While Elizabeth doesn’t follow every standard society expects of her, she remains cognizant of how her actions—and the actions of family members—will affect her family’s reputation.

            Over all, Elizabeth does attempt to follow the standards that society expects her to follow. She also worries about how society views her family. However, Elizabeth is only human, meaning she does slip up and doesn’t always follow the impossible rules and standards. If she did, Pride and Prejudice wouldn’t be a very realistic portrayal of society, would it?